This invention pertains to accessories that pool and billiard players will find useful, and particularly, to accessories that facilitate player access to a chalk cube during play. More particularly, this invention relates to a chalk cube recovery system comprising a combination of a unique pool cue and a unique chalk cube whereby the player can easily engage, recover, retain and utilize a chalk cube with a minimum interruption of play or inconvenience.
The invention provides a system useful to pool and billiard players and any other participant in a game utilizing pool cues with a leather or similar tip, the performance of which is optimized by scuffing and the use of chalk. The terms xe2x80x9cpool table, xe2x80x98pool cuexe2x80x99, xe2x80x98pool playerxe2x80x99 or the like will be used throughout the specification to refer to tables, cues, players and the like involving playing surfaces in the nature of a pool table or billiard table and related items.
Pool tables are classified in a variety of sizes or other categories for a variety of applications depending in part on room size. One such classification includes: Bar Size tables, generally about 7 feet long and 3.5 feet wide; Home Size tables, approximately 8 feet long and 4 feet wide; Commercial Size, about 8.5 feet long and 4.25 feet wide; and Tournament Size, about 9 feet long and 4.5 feet wide. Cues for use with pool tables (pool cues) also vary in length depending in part on the size of the table with which they are employed. One accepted length for pool cues is 48 inches. For larger tables a 58 inch pool cue is common.
Cues are generally circular in cross section and tapered from a large player or gripping end to a much smaller striking or tip end. At the tip end there is a tip usually of leather and about xc2xd inch in diameter that is scuffed to a desired configuration and chalked for optimum engagement with the balls used on the pool table (pool balls). The tip is secured to the cue by a ferrule which usually has a diameter of xc2xd inch or larger and may be fabricated from metal including aluminum, brass, steel or from a variety of alloys. Ferrules are also molded in copolymers, fiber resins or the like.
In the course of play a player regularly wishes to apply chalk to the cue tip to maintain the optimum and consistent striking characteristics of the tip with the pool balls. For this purpose, a rectangular cube of chalk is normally maintained on or near the pool table or on the person of a player. Many players utilize the chalk before each shot. One conventional chalk cube is 1 by 1 by 1 inch with a slight indentation on one of the surfaces (the top) which comprises the working surface. The remaining five surfaces are at least partially covered with some material such as paper for ease of handling and for aesthetic, cleanliness and source identification purposes.
Because of the size of pool tables and the space required in the room for maneuvering, it is often difficult to have a chalk cube readily available to a player prior to each shot. Many players prefer to have a chalk cube of their own and do not merely rely on the chalk cubes of others or chalk generally available in the surrounding area.
For the foregoing reasons, various techniques and devices have been proposed for use by a pool player to maintain easy access to his chalk cube. One such device is a personal chalk holder shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,196 which includes a spring activated spool of line to which a chalk cube is attached and which has a connector for attachment to an article of clothing worn by a player. Another proposed solution to the need for quick personal access to a chalk cube is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,728 entitled xe2x80x9cChalk Holder and Scuff Gauging Device.xe2x80x9d In that patent a plate is provided having a serrated scuffing surface and a chalk holder. The chalk holder supports a chalk cube and has a magnetic base that is detachably secured to the plate member. The plate member includes a clip for securing the plate to the clothing of a user. Still another proposal for attaching a chalk cube to a player""s clothing is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,411 entitled xe2x80x9cBilliard Cue Chalk Holder.xe2x80x9d The chalk holder includes a magnet on the bottom surface thereof and is intended to provide a pressure fit between the sidewalls of the holder when the chalk is inserted in the open top. The chalk can then be attached to a metal surface such as a plate under a pool table or a key chain worn by the pool player. The patent also describes a clip that can be attached to a player""s belt or shirt pocket during play.
None of the foregoing provides an optimum structure, system, arrangement or method for maintaining a chalk cube readily available without interfering with the player""s activities or soiling the player""s clothing.
This invention provides a system for the recovery of a chalk cube from its position of repose on any of the rails that define the pool-playing surface or other surfaces in the playing environment. The system or combination broadly comprises a chalk cube fabricated with a material of a first kind that is subject to engagement and retention when in engagement with a material of a second kind. The system also includes a cue having a tip end with a material of the second kind disposed in proximity to the tip. The player using the cue of this invention can reach a chalk cube made in accordance with this invention and engage and retain the cube adjacent the tip end of the cue. This occurs as a result of the mutual engagement and retention between the material of the first kind and the material of the second kind. When the player extends his arm holding the cue near the gripping end, he can readily reach his chalk cube on the rails of the pool table or the nearby surfaces. Various embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.
One of the preferred embodiments of the invention provides a sheet of paramagnetic material such as soft iron or steel at least partially surrounding the chalk cube. This sheet comprises a magnetic material of the first kind. This preferred embodiment also includes a permanent magnet of high retentivity, that is, a ferromagnetic material that maintains a magnetic field without the aid of external electric current. The material is preferably a sintered neodymium-iron-boron material incorporated in the striking end of the cue in proximity to the tip. This material comprises a magnetic material of the second kind. This system enables a player to recover a chalk cube that is readily engaged and retained by the cue tip. Moreover, an advantage of using magnetic materials in this manner in practicing the invention is the attractive power of a magnetic field. In use, the chalk will be drawn to the cue tip from a short distance away. While the chalk cube is retained the player can draw the tip and chalk back to a position where he can easily grasp the cube with his free hand and utilize it for preparing the tip of his cue for the next shot.
A magnetic material of the second kind can be incorporated in both the chalk cube and the cue and thus obtain even greater attraction therebetween. However, the increased attraction usually will not add sufficient benefit to justify additional expense or manufacturing cost. For purposes of fully understanding this invention, it should be understood that the magnetic material of the first kind includes both paramagnetic material and permanent magnetic material.